Happy Spring!

On By Stephanie IngramIn Family and Fun1 Comment

springThis morning I looked out the window and decided the world is a giant funnel cake covered in powdered sugar.

It could be that I was kind of hungry for funnel cake at the time, but despite the fact that we woke up to a snow-covered ground, we welcome spring with open arms.

Birds are singing. (Kind of) The daffodils are already sprouting. (Really, they were under there somewhere) Monday I have grand plans to start running at the park again. I know Mother Nature is laughing at that idea.

For what it’s worth, the snow that fell this morning has already melted and even though the temperatures may not be very warm, brighter days are ahead.

Stay tuned for my Theme Reveal posting on Monday for the A to Z Blogging Challenge, a new ebook that will emerge from that challenge, and a full length novel soon after.

And most of all, Enjoy Spring! 🙂

 

 

End of Winter Survival Plan

On By Stephanie IngramIn Family and Fun6 Comments

winter 009This is my plan. What’s yours?

I love living in an area where we get to enjoy the change of seasons. Each season offers something unique that I look forward to experiencing, some more than others. And when we’re stuck in a rut, sometimes that change is exactly what we need to breathe new life into our daily routine.

But by this time of year, I reach a point when winter has lost its charm and I am itching for that change. Bring on spring, those warmer temperatures (hey, I’ll settle for above freezing), hints of green, and daffodil sprouts. It’s so close we can almost reach out and feel … yet, still oh, so far away. Winter doesn’t want to give up her grip.

winter 006

This is my backyard. The sun shining on the snow is pretty, I admit. But the negative temperatures that delay school for the umpteenth time this year… that has got to go.

I don’t want to rush the days by too quickly but enough is enough. Raise your glass in a toast to the end of winter! Cheers. 🙂

 

In Return

On By Stephanie IngramIn Family and Fun2 Comments

морозное утро на озереOne of my favorite poems comes from the author Wendell Berry. I first discovered it in Narada’s CD collection called “Earth Songs”. In the CD’s insert, each of the songs is inspired by a poem which the creators share along with what it was about that poem that inspired them to write the music. Both the music and the poem make me think about endings and new beginnings, constant cycles within our lives and our world.

The topic of reincarnation came up at dinner last night. My youngest told me that when he grows up, he will be a carpenter so that he can build his own house. Once his house is built, however, he is going to find a different job. He decided this would save him money. I told him, well, in order to become a carpenter, you need to train and learn the skills that the job requires. It takes time and money to do that. According to him, he already learned those skills “years ago”. I laughed and said, “When you were 2?” (He’s only 5 now.) Very seriously, he told me it was before I was born.

Silliness from a five year old, perhaps, but conversations like this always remind me of a book I read a long, long time ago about reincarnation. The author recounted an experience in which her daughter relived memories of a past life. She knew the sort of things that a typical 4 year old shouldn’t know. Kids have great imaginations though and I don’t remember what it was about the author’s description that gave me chills but it stuck with me. It made me wonder “what if”.

Who is to say that there aren’t memories of lives lived before that are tucked away in our unconscious? Who is to say that every once in a while we don’t have some glimmer of feeling to remind us of those lives that came before? That we don’t recognize another soul in a person we’ve supposedly just met but seem to already have known for so long? Places we’ve never been that feel so familiar?

I’ve always believed that we’re all intertwined in ways that we have yet to possibly understand. We’re alone but not alone.

I asked my kids what they thought about this idea – that maybe once we die, our bodies return to the earth but our souls are reborn to live again. For the most part, I think the concept went over their heads. They were concerned mostly with (1) that they have only ever been boys because being a girl would be gross and (2) being my dad in a past life would have been fun.

Ha ha Payback. 😉

Who knows what really happens after death. It’s a mystery to all of us and will remain that way until we do die. But when we look around at nature and see the cycles of life that are constantly in motion, it’s hard to believe that death is truly “the end”.

Something to think about.

Song (4)

Within the circles of our lives
we dance the circles of the years,
the circles of the seasons
within the circles of the years,
the cycles of the moon
within the circles of the seasons,
the circles of our reasons
within the cycles of the moon.

Again, again we come and go,
changed, changing. Hands
join, unjoin in love and fear,
grief and joy. The circles turn,
each giving into each, into all.
Only music keeps us here,

each by all the others held.
In the hold of hands and eyes
we turn in pairs, that joining
joining to each all again.

And then we turn aside, alone,
out of the sunlight gone
into the darker circles of return.

~by Wendell Berry

Let’s Have a Little Talk About … Tweetle Beetles

On By Stephanie IngramIn Family and Fun2 Comments

drseussHappy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Today is a day to celebrate one of the best-loved children’s book authors and what better way to do it than by promoting Read Across America!

What is your favorite book by Dr. Seuss? There are so many to choose from. I know our family has a few favorites. I started reading Green Eggs and Ham to my oldest when he was just an infant. His name is Sam and as he’s gotten older, he’s always gotten a kick out of seeing his name in print – Sam I Am!

I read Happy Birthday to You as part of our family birthday traditions.

The title of my blog post you may recognize from the book Fox in Socks, another one of our personal favorites and one I love to read out loud to the kids because of all the tricky tongue twisters. It’s tough! When the kindergarten teacher asked for volunteers to read a Dr. Seuss book to the class today, you can bet that I not only jumped at the opportunity, but I pulled out Fox in Socks. I anticipate many giggles.

Unfortunately, weather didn’t work in our favor and the green eggs and ham breakfast that I was supposed to help out with had to be cancelled. That would have been a lot of fun too.

I decided the best way to honor Dr. Seuss on his birthday would be to share some of my favorite quotes so here goes…

“You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”
― Dr. Seuss

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”
― Dr. Seuss, Happy Birthday to You!

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

“A person’s a person, no matter how small.”
― Dr. Seuss, Horton Hears a Who!
“I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”
― Dr. Seuss
“You’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So… get on your way!”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
These are just a handful of the quotes I love. Do you have a special quote that you love?

20 Random Facts About – Me!

On By Stephanie IngramIn Family and Fun6 Comments

me jan 2015 02Happy Friday!

In an effort to blog more, I have resorted to finding blog challenges and using the prompts to give me a push. As a result, if you stick with me, you will soon learn twenty completely random things. Maybe you will find we have a few things in common … or the opposite! Either way, I hope you have as much fun reading a little about me as I did writing a little about me. I’ve included links for fun.

In no particular order, here we go…

1) I am an Aries with Libra Rising. This, apparently, makes me very charming and difficult to resist, not to mention, high energy. I’m also an INFP. I agree with this. If you tell me your birthday, I’ll probably never forget it.

2) My favorite foods are pizza, shrimp, and chicken parmesan. Yum, yum, yum! Let’s not forget the chocolate for dessert, especially if it is a chocolate milkshake. Or brownies. Or anything. I firmly believe that dessert should come first.

3) I started studying French in junior high school. I loved it so much that I added Spanish in high school. When I got to college, I also studied Portuguese and German while I chose Spanish Language and Culture as my major. At the time, I was intent on teaching English as a Second Language and living in Puerto Rico.

4) I am often described as “quiet” and “easy going”. My best feature is my eyes. They are three different colors and I’ve been told they say a lot more than I do.

5) I’ve always been a fan of exercise, especially running, yoga, and pilates.

6) Some say I’m strange because I don’t drink coffee and I don’t eat butter, margarine, or any of the substitutes. As a matter of fact, when pregnant, the smell of coffee used to make me vomit. Blech. I don’t have to be pregnant to have that reaction to butter. Gross stuff. Plain toast, plain baked potato. Plain bread. Plain is good if it means avoiding butter.

7) My first favorite song was “Fly Like an Eagle” by the Steve Miller Band. I was too young to understand it then. Now, I just find it ironic. Music has always been a big part of my life. As a kid, I made “videos” in my head when I listened to my favorite songs. Now when I do it, I call it writing.

8) I’ve watched “Stand by Me” more than any other movie. During one summer as a kid, I watched it every day. Literally. Every. Single. Freaking. Day. I had a bit of crush on Kiefer Sutherland, admittedly. The only exception to my obsessive watching was that when it came to the scene with the dead body at the end of the movie, I closed my eyes every time. It wasn’t until later in life when I came across the movie that I actually saw that scene. Crazy but true.

9) London, England is my favorite city. During my younger days, my brother and I decided we wanted to visit so we made it happen. I had such a great time that I returned the following year on my own. It never occurred to me not to enjoy traveling alone. I stayed in a youth hostel and met some of the most interesting people. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I’ll have to blog about it someday.

10) My favorite Disney movie was and always will be “Lady and the Tramp“. The link will take you to a youtube clip of the best scene in that movie.

11) I’ve always loved dancing. Any dancing! I started with a ballet obsession as a kid but later picked up all sorts of ballroom dancing as well. I loved Salsa and Swing Dancing the most. I own all the Just Dance games for Wii. 🙂

12) Camping! Need I say more? I grew up camping and it’s my favorite part of looking back at my childhood. I wish my kids loved it as much as I do.

13) I have an unnatural fear of aliens and falling off the earth. I know we have this handy thing called gravity and all but have you ever laid under the stars at the top of a tall hill on a clear night and felt like you could just float away? The aliens are probably laughing at me. I’m pretty sure they abduct me while I’m sleeping just to try to figure me out. (Give it up, guys, it’s no use.)

14) My favorite color is red.

15) I may not like coffee but I do enjoy a cup of tea now and then. My favorite is Bigelow’s Earl Grey.

16) Funny guys win. For as long as I’ve noticed the opposite sex, I’ve always had a crush on the class clown. (Minus that time when I was four years old and fell for the kid with the Fudgsicle – but hey, chocolate. My love lasted as long as he shared.) The true love has always been about the guy who makes me laugh the hardest.

17) My favorite movies are comedies. See #16! I fell hard for Vince Vaughn when I saw Wedding Crashers. sigh… I’m easily amused and you will often find me laughing out loud at just about anything, even when I’m on my own. My mum has always loved that about me. 🙂 I’m usually pretty good at making people around me laugh too. My kids call me silly. This is probably accurate.

18) My favorite animal is a dolphin. I have always wanted to swim with them. Being a big fan of swimming as a kid, I often thought that it was a shame I had to leave the water at all. I often wished on the stars that I would turn into a mermaid. Remember the movie “Splash” ?(love, love, love Tom Hanks too.) I watched that one quite a number of times. Daryl Hannah had fins when her legs got wet. I used to concentrate very hard on making that happen to me. It hasn’t happened yet. Darn.

19) If I can’t be a mermaid, I want to be Stephanie Plum when I grow up. (See Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series.)

20) But… I’ll never grow up. 😉

Now it’s your turn to comment and tell me one random thing about you!